Blogger Matt Yglesias has been in Finland lately, studying up on their education policy, but all it took was a single viewing of Morning Joe to bring him up to speed with the new way the political press corps has been abusing their platform:

[T]his morning on MSNBC there was a lengthy discussion of Obama's involvement in Blagojevich's corruption. Of course, there was no evidence of any involvement on Obama's part. Nor, despite this being a news channel, was there any original reporting of any kind whatsoever. There was, however, a ton of time spent criticizing the Obama campaign's PR strategy with regard to this issue -- the suggestion being that had Obama adopted a better PR strategy, then people wouldn't be on television making evidence-free guilt-by-association accusations against him.

This struck me as odd. The people making the accusations kept acknowledging that they had no evidence. One might think that communicating to television personalities the fact that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on Obama's part would constitute a good PR strategy.Given that they knew there was no evidence of wrongdoing, they should have ceased implying that there was wrongdoing. But they didn't do that at all. Not, I would submit, because of any failings on Obama's part, but because Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, John Heileman, Mark Halperin, and Pat Buchanan don't care at all about the accuracy of the impression their coverage gives.

_________________

"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

Amazing that the same network can carry Olbermann, Maddow and 'Morning Joe' Scarborough. What ever happened to the question of whether there was foul play when the intern was found dead in his office when he was in Congress?

Isn't it normal, necessary, and natural for a president-elect who is a Senator to discuss his vacant senate seat with the governor who will be appointing the person to fill the vacancy? Just because that governor happens to be a crook doesn't mean the people who have daily conversations with him or her are also crooks.

Isn't it normal, necessary, and natural for any government official, including the president-elect, to obey a gag order or request regarding any investigation into a governor's behavior and activities? It's Obama's duty and responsibility to obey Fitzgerald's request that he not respond to media questions about the case.

What would be the media's reaction if Obama said, "No, I'm going to behave like the outgoing president and put myself above the law and discuss whatever I please, when I please, with whom I please, and you can all just stuff it up your fat asses because I'm soon to be the PREZ! Now watch me shoot this basket!"

The media operate 24/7 now and they're all in a feeding frenzy. They don't report the news anymore. They simply make it up.

_________________

"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

The first time I remember TV stations being on the air for 24 hours was when JFK was assassinated. It wasn't until there were cable/satellite channels that 24/7 became the norm. Over the air broadcast stations were the last to take on the 24/7 burden; many not until the 1990's.

_________________“I'm not a member of any organized party. I'm a Democrat.”-Will Rogers

The first time I remember TV stations being on the air for 24 hours was when JFK was assassinated. It wasn't until there were cable/satellite channels that 24/7 became the norm. Over the air broadcast stations were the last to take on the 24/7 burden; many not until the 1990's.

1990's? Really? I didn't realize that.

How did people live without all those paid programs, ie, unending commercials?